Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Exercise is important for physical health. We all know that. But in the last decade research has uncovered a wealth of new data showing that exercise essentially effects all aspects of life for the good. We were made to move, not lay around. Below are four interesting benefits of exercise that your mom may not have told you:

Exercise increases productivity

Rather than depleting your motivation, as one might think, exercise ultimately boosts
your energy level. A recent study
published in the Journal of Occupational & Environmental Medicine found
that workers who exercised at least 2 & ½ hours per week out performed all
other employees, even when they worked less hours on the job. In other words, if you feel you are
behind schedule – stop what you’re doing and exercise. This studyfound that exercise boosts
productivity in real time and decreases time needed off work due to
illness. Stop running
behind by actually going for a run.

Got a worried mind?

Did you know that exercise is the best and safest way to
balance your brain chemicals? The
research is startling – exercise helps tremendously with many social and mental problems in contemporary society – including depression, addiction, aggression, Alzheimer’s, dementia,
ADD, insecurity, learning challenges, anxiety and stress. The list goes on. Regular activity is so successful that many psychologists are now prescribing exercise as part of their treatment therapy. The bottom line is that we all need to exercise,
not just for our bodies, but for our minds. Talk to your spouse, your friend or family member, and schedule
regular exercise together. You’ll soon find yourself looking forward to the daily peace of mind and joy this time brings.

Forever young

Scientist now know what makes us die. The culprit is a tiny strand on your
chromosome called a telomere. Your
telomeres shorten just a little bit every time your cells divide. Once your telomeres are gone, your
cells die and, so do you unfortunately.
Think of a telomere a little bit like a candle, when there’s nothing
left to burn, the light goes out.
Your telomere length is determined by two things: your genes and youractivity
level. The best way to increase your telomere
length and, hence your life, is to exercise. It is believed that regular exercise can add as much as a
decade to your life. You want to
live longer? Push your body to your limit.

Bigger brains

Exercise does two important things to the
brain that will make you more creative:
1st – Exercise gets rid of brain waste and brain fog. Over
time, toxins and harmful chemicals build up in our brain’s highways just like
they do in the rest of the body.
Exercise cleans up these toxins and clears the traffic jams from these
mental highways. 2nd, exercise
actually builds more avenues in the brain. The protein called BDNF,
which stimulates brain growth, is secreted when you exercise. This protein builds pathways – think of
them as new streets and roads between separate places and ideas, thus
increasing creativity and your ability to multitask. You want to be the one with the brilliant but unexpected
solution in your next meeting? Hit
the gym.

Monday, October 8, 2012

Heart disease is the American
killer. In 2008 it caused 25% of
all deaths – that’s 616,000 people who died at the mercy of their own failing
heart. The yearly medical cost to
treat heart disease is over 100 billion. Before I go any further, it should be said that if you have heart disease, you need to remain under the
supervision of your doctor. But - and this an important but - there may be some things you need to know, things your doctor may not be aware of. It’s generally thought, even among many health care professionals, that there is no
real cure for heart disease. But
is that true? If you or someone
you love has heart disease, are you really just waiting to die?

In 1990, Dr. Dean Ornish, a medical doctor, conducted a
groundbreaking study that showed you can actually reverse cardiovascular
disease naturally. Dr. Ornish
found by eliminating smoking, and making real changes in your diet and
exercise, you can have a significant decrease in chest pain, a decrease in
cholesterol levels, and a decrease in arterial stenosis – also called hardening
of the arteries. Note what he found: his program didn't just halt the progression of heart disease - it reversed it. Dr. Ornish was
the first to demonstrate that not only is there an alternative to our invasive,
traditional cardiology, the alternative might actually be superior.

Following this study, Dr. Ornish
published a mouthful: Dr.
Dean Ornish’s Program for Reversing Heart Disease: The Only System Scientifically Proven to Reverse Heart
Disease Without Drugs or Surgery. Don’t let the title put you off – the
book is very accessible, written for lay persons. It contains numerous recipes and is laden with practical
steps for killing America's #1 killer.

A few years after Dr. Ornish’s study, another doctor tackled
and even greater hurdle. Dr.
Caldwell Esselstyn, a Surgeon at Cleveland Clinic in Ohio took 17 pts with
advanced heart disease and implemented a change in diet and exercise. Most of these patients had such sever
heart disease that they’d been given less than 1 year to live. Incredibly, within months of
implementing Dr. Esselstyn’s program, every single patient saw a dramatic
decrease in chest pain, cholesterol levels, and increase blood flow. For the next decade there was not one
single major cardiac event. Dr.
Esselstyn’s study continued for 20 years, with staggering results.

As a cardiologist, he argues that conventional
cardiology has failed to appropriately treat heart disease – ultimately to the patient's demise. The problem, he contends,
is that the traditional approach focuses on the symptoms, or the effect of
heart disease, rather than the underlying cause. He published a book called Prevent & Reverse Heart
Disease. It offers a simple, nutritional based program that anyone
can implement. I highly recommend it.

The point is, you don’t have to live in fear. You do not have to be a slave to your
heart disease. With the proper
supervision and proper lifestyle changes, you can reverse heart disease and take
control once again. Always remember that health is a choice. Empower your health.Dr. Sam Yoder, D.C.Chiropractor in Campbellsville, KY